New Assembly Speaker Karen Bass took quick action yesterday to curtail "ghost voting" – when Assembly members vote for their absent colleagues, with or without their knowledge. The public and the media quickly saw the potential for abuse, and in the ensuing uproar Bass laid down the law: No pushing the button for members who aren’t in the Chamber, period. It’s still acceptable to vote for your seatmate who’s across the room and waves at you to help her out. Wouldn’t want the unseemly sight of members rushing around the chamber to vote. Here’s more in the SF Chronicle. It remains to be seen if the burst of attention keeps members on the straight and narrow, or if ghost voting for missing members crops up again as soon as the public’s back is turned.
“Ghost voting” curtailed – For how long?
Carmen Balber
Consumer Watchdog executive director Carmen Balber has been with the organization for nearly two decades. She spent four years directing the group’s Washington, D.C. office where she advocated for key health insurance market reforms that were ultimately enacted into law as part of the Affordable Care Act.
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